Bathing suit and brassiere or like combination of wearing apparel



April 1959 E. KENDALL 7 2,880,731

BATHING SUIT AND BRASSIERE OR LIKE COMBINATION OF WEARING APPAREL FiledJuly 6, 1954 INVENTOR. EOYff/E IVE/V0614 United States Patent BATHINGSUIT- AND BRASSIERE 0R LIKE COMBINATION OF WEARING APPAREL The presentinvention relates to improvements, in wearing apparel, and moreparticularly to improvements in sportswear such as jumpers, dresses,bathing suits, and like garments.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel garment ofthe aforesaid type wherein the main or basic shell of the garment iscomplemented and completed by at least a portion of a brassiere ofornamental design and configuration.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide meansenhancing practicality, appearance and change of composition of thegarment by the use of only a few elements, such as brassiere and shell(or covering) employable in various combinations.

Another object of the invention is to provide means facilitating themanufacture of Wearing apparel so. that the number of sizes of saidelements to be made available may be reduced while still satisfying thedemands of the many individual figures 'of the wearers. A further objectof the invention resides in the provision of means affording readychange of street to casual or sport wear within a minimum of time, onlya limited wardrobe being necessary for ensuring pleasing appearance of aperson wearing such wardrobe.

Another object of the invention is to provide means conducive toready'assembly of a novel bathing suit or dress wardrobe from a fewelements to thereby achieve a large number of ensembles of wearingapparel.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide meansaifording maximum of support and fit for the individual bust of thewearer and change in appearance of the entire garment by the use ofvarious shapes of the remainder of the garment.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide meansensuring correct fit of a garment part on the respective individualwearer and the combination of such garment part with another garmentpart to complete the garment, whereby said other part of said garmentcontributes to and enhances the fit of said one garment whilesimultaneously characterizing the style of the complete garment (flaringgown, princess style dress, bloomer type playor s'unsuit and the like)which may be used by tall as well as short persons.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent from thedetailed ensuing description of the invention taken in conjunction withthe accompanying draw- :i'ng, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of several elements constitutingan article of wearing apparel made in accordance with the presentinvention;

Fig. 2 is aperspective view of the article of .Fig. l in assembledcondition, a part being shown in dot-and-dash lines;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a garment part in the form of abrassiere according to the invention, with which another garment part,such as a shell, may be combined, which is indicated in dot-and-dasl1lines;

' Fig. 4 is incorporation in 'the lower element of the garment of Fig.1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective 'view of a garment made in acp a perspectiveview of an article of wearing I apparel in the form of an arm andshoulder support for 16 with cups and a strap 21.

cordance with the present invention and illustrating an element in theform of a bathing suit shell seen in Fig, 1 combined with the brassiereof Fig. 3 and the support shown in Fig. 4.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, there is disclosed inFig. l a garment having the following elements, a bathing suit shell orcovering 10, a brassiere The shell 10 has a lower portion 11 and anupper portion 12. The upper portion '12 comprises a pair of upwardlydirected side pieces 12, said upper portion 12 being provided at itsupperends adjacent said side pieces with buttonholes 14 for a purposehereinafter set forth. Between the side pieces 13 the upper portion 12dips to provide a cut-out defined by an elastic shaping portion 15 whichcomes to lie partly below the breast cups of the wearers brassiere, ascan be seen in Fig. 2.

Strapless brassiere 16, which may be composed of the same or any othermaterial as the shell 10 is provided with breast pockets or cups 17 andwith a body encircling bodice 18. The brassiere 16 is provided with anoverlap of decorative embroidery 19 and carries at each lateral upperend a button 20 complementary with the buttonholes 14. v

A shoulder strap 21 provided at each end with buttonholes 22 is alsocomplementary to buttons -20, and is made of the same material as theshell 10, if desired.

The rear of the brassiere 16. .-is provided with conven tional fasteningmeans (not shown), such as hooks and eyes or laces and is preferablyelasticized to secure fit on the body of the individual wearer.

For this latter reason the brassiere may also be provided with stays,reinforcements and the like conforming to the contour of the wearersbreasts. The rear-of the shell or covering 10 may be provided with slidefastener means for ease of dressing or may be cut low so that the backis partly covered by the rear part of the brassiere.

In Fig. 2 the assembled bathing suit is shown as worn. The bodice part18 is undermost and the shell 10 is superimposed thereon, the two beingmaintained in relative position by cooperation of buttons 20 withbuttonholes 14 and/or securing means, such as .hook and eye, 16a, 16bdisposed at the center of the brassiere and shell, repectively. Thebreast pockets 17 of the brassiere are only partly visible above theframing or shaping portion 15, which is somewhat elastic or conformableto the wearers breast to afford additional up-lift therefor. Thus, thebathing suit 10a appears to be an integral article, since the line ofdemarcation between the brassiere and the shell is not immediatelyapparent tothe observer. If desired, the shoulder strap 21 may beworn,as shown in dotand-dash lines and is held in place by buttonsholes'22with buttons 20.

In Fig. 3 there is shown a modified brassiere 23 .of a material whosecolor is incontrast with that of the-shell 25, said brassiere'beingprovided with ruflied breast pocket portions 24. I

A shell 25 of any convenient configuration, such as a gown, dress andthe like, shown in dot-'and-dash tlines, is of conventional outwardappearance except for the elastic framing strap-portion 26 which dipsbelow the bust line to expose the ornamental portion of the brassiere 23and forms an up-lift therefor in applied condition. The brassiere 23 isprovided with buttons 27 at its upper ends which engage withbuttonholes' providedin the shell .or like garment part for securing thesame to each other. The shell and brassiere forming two separateelements, when assembled, give thus the appearance of a single integralarticle of clothing.

In Fig. 4 a shoulder and sleeve support 30 .is shown, which "has twosleeves 28 provided with buttorihdlesZQ-for seeurement to the buttons 27of the brassiere in a manner previously described. The sleeves areinterconnected by a back member 30a which together with the sleeves 28has a boleroor jacket-like appearance. In place of the shoulder strap 21these interconnected sleeves may be worn with the brassiere to provideadditional support while simultaneously affording a decorative effect.

Fig. shows the shell combined with the modified brassiere 23 and withthe support 30.

By interchanging the brassiere 16 and 23 while retain- 'ing the bathingsuit forming shell 10 the bathing suit as worn will have a completelydifferent outer appearance. Conversely, by interchanging shells 10 whileretaining the same brassiere a different appearance will result.Similarly, other garment shells may be substituted for the bathing suitshell to prepare for street wear.

In this manner the "shells which require a comparatively large amount ofmaterial may be manufactured in but a few sizes since there is littlevariation in the torso size of individuals. The brassiere requirements,however, vary widely and the demands are quite stringent. Accordingly,the brassieres "may be manufactured in a multiplicity of sizes varyingin girth and pocket size (A to C cups), many of which are employable inconjunction with a single size of shell. In this manner minor weightvariations can be accommodated by alteration or replacement of thebrassiere while the shell need not be modified, thereby effecting aconsiderable economy.

At the same time the wearer is ensured of the bust support of a wellmade brassiere even in sport clothes and may'incorporate additionalup-lift support whether in the form of a shoulder strap 21 and/or of theelasticized strap portions or 26.

Of equal importance is the fact that the brassiere may be wornexternally in street clothes as well as with sport clothes, as shown inFig. 3. Similarly, the brassiere can be worn as a separate top withshorts or a skirt, in the latter instance being particularly suited evenfor formal wear when worn with the removable sleeve and shoulder supportof Fig. 4.

Even without considering the many possible combinations permitted byinterchanging the shoulder supports, it can be seen that a wardrobe ofbut two brassieres, two bathing suit shells and two dress shells wouldpermit four bathing suit combinations and four street wear combinationswhile additionally permitting the brassieres to be worn with otherensembles either exposed or partly below a blouse or dress. In thismanner, a great number of possible ensembles may be made up with a fewof such elements so that in travelling, for instance, the amount ofclothing to be taken along on a trip could be considerably reduced.

When the articles are worn together, the manner of assembly is notreadily apparent, but nonetheless it is possible to have themeasurements of a brassiere made up to the particular specifications ofthe wearer. Consequently, only a few well-made brassieres will berequired while the same may be realized in all types of ensembles whichmay otherwise be composed of less expensive garment elements.

The ease and speed of changing from one ensemble to another are alsoenhanced so that the novel garments are particularly suited fortheatrical personnel, who must travel light, must provide for manychanges of clothing,

and must be capable of changing clothes quickly.

In place of buttons and buttonholes other types of fastening means orinterengageable formations might be employed such as slide fasteners,snaps, hooks and eyes, and the like. If desired a separate set offastening means may be provided for incorporating the shoulder supportwith the brassieres, which separate sets may be similar or dissimilar tothe set for securing the shell with the brassiere.

The color and design of the shells or of the brassieres may be varied inaccordance with the current fashion trendsand only portions of a garmentwill have tube replaced as styles change. The particular brassieresemployed in conjunction with any given shell may be made of the same ordissimilar materials as well as of the same or contrasting colors.

The auxiliary brassiere supporting means, whether a shoulder strap or apair of integrally interconnected sleeves, may be made reversible sothat one face conforms in color with the shell while the other face isof a contrasting color. Consequently, a particularly desirable manner ofretailing the novel garment constitutes the sale of a bathing suit orjumper shell in one of three basic sizes, viz., small, medium or large.In addition a reversible shoulder strap and sleeves would be soldtherewith, together with a set of brassieres conforming with the colorsof the reversible auxiliary brassiere supporting means. The brassiereswould be sold, however, by girth and breast pocket size so that an exactfit would be had along the bustline where adequate support is notafforded by an elasticized material alone.

Accordingly, there has been provided a garment coinprising a straplessbrassiere having two breast cups fitted to the wearers bust, a garmentshell provided with a cut out defining the neckline of the garment shelland extending from said brassiere therebelow, elastic means positionedalong said cutout, and complementary fastening means on said brassiereand on said garment shell for connecting the latterlto said brassiereand for removal therefrom, said elastic means being disposed to extendapproximately at the level, of the horizontal center line passingthrough said breast cups, whereby .theremainder of the latter areexposed to view, said breast cups being covered with decorative materialenhancing the aesthetic appearance of the entire garment when saidgarment shell is connected to said brassiere, said elastic meansaffording additional lift-up support to the wearers bust below saidcenter line of said breast cups.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the present invention and it is intended that suchobvious changes and modifications be embraced by the annexed claim.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is:

A garment comprising a first complete garment piece in the form of astrapless brassiere having a bodice and two breast cups adapted to befitted to the wearers bust, a second complete garment piece forming agarment shell and provided with an arcuate concave shaped elasticshaping edge defining the upper front edge of said garment shell andextending in superposed relation to said bodice when the brassiere isfitted on the wearers bust, and complementary fastening means onadjacent uppermost ends of said brassiere and said garment shell forconnecting the latter to said brassiere and for removal therefrom, saidelastic shaping edge having a median por tion located approximately atthe level of the horizontal center line passing through said breastcups, while the remainder of the latter are exposed to view, when saidsecond garment piece is connected to said first garment piece insuperposed relation, said elastic shaping edge engaging said breast cupsand affording additional lift-up support to the wearers bust at saidbreast cups.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D.51,602 McGowan Dec. 18, 1917 700,801 Niederauer May 27, 1902 1,238,070Wiesel Aug. 21, 1917 2,457,624 Laszlo July 12, 1949 2,531,994 Stain Nov.28, 1950 2,537,206 Caputo Ian. 9, 1951 2,584,556 Cousins Feb. 5, 19522,654,091 Nelson Oct. 6,1953 2,671,218 Luhr Mar. 9, 1954

